5 Signs That Indicate You’re a Natural-Born Event Planner
Event planning is one of the most stressful careers in the world, comparable in stress levels with demanding jobs such as those in the fields of military, police, or airline pilots.
However, even though the job certainly has its difficult moments, event planning services providers will tell you that they wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.
But why would such a high-stakes career be appealing?
Well, the truth is, there is actually a certain type of person that is ideally suited for a career in corporate event management – these people feed off the stress and the high pace that the job entails and love the adrenaline rush of solving critical issues at the last second.
So, if you want to learn whether you have the traits necessary to be a successful event planner, read on below.
You're a Natural Multi-Tasker
As an event planner, you will need to coordinate and execute thousands of details when you put together your events.
Therefore, one of the most critical skills you must have is the ability to stay on top of numerous issues at once and know how to adjust your plan at every stage of the planning process.
Many people shudder at having to coordinate dozens of people or making sure that each part of the event is executed flawlessly. Still, for others, it allows using their organizational skills to navigate challenging situations, which can be incredibly rewarding.
If you’ve been putting together to-do-lists and plans your whole life and love every bit of it, your natural skill-set will likely fit perfectly with the challenges you’ll be facing as an event planning services provider.
The best event professionals thrive at executing complicated logistics plans and solving problems that seemingly don’t have a solution.
Skills:
- Managing deadlines and multiple tasks
- Working with a variety of people
- Organized
- Problem solving
You Love Being Around People
Another crucial trait of natural-born event planners is being social and comfortable spending a lot of time around people.
One thing’s for sure – for someone who is an introvert and hates spending too much time in the company of strangers or acquaintances, the job of an event planner would be miserable.
Sure, you don’t have to spend every waking second with others if you’re an event planner, but being able to deal with people regularly is a big part of the job.
In fact, you not only have to interact with colleagues, subordinates, and clients but also have to be able to control the room immediately as you enter.
You also need to direct conversations where they need to go, receive information by asking the right questions, and give clear and concise directions that are easy to follow.
When dealing with clients, you will also need to be flexible, knowing how to manage expectations, communicate issues or mistakes, and lay out the next steps in a way that produces the least amount of resistance.
Skills:
- Enjoy socializing and spending time with people
- Extroverted personality
- Dominating in a room or conversation
-
Open Communication
You’re Creative
If there’s one thing corporate event management is not, it’s mundane.
As an event planner, you will always be faced with competing events, competing brands, and competing events agencies.
Therefore, your success will ultimately depend on how you can separate yourself from everyone else and create something new that grabs the attention of your audience.
Even event planners with decades of experience still have to push themselves to experiment and try out new approaches because something that was innovative just a few years ago may already be outdated and mundane.
The good news is that if you’re a naturally creative person that loves looking for new solutions to a familiar situation, the job of an event organizer can be one of the most rewarding careers you could pursue.
People that love to get their creative juices flowing and brainstorm for new ideas usually fair very well in the events industry, as they are usually able to generate buzz and excitement around their events by using ingenious strategies and stunts that haven’t been tried before.
Now, this doesn’t mean that experience and proven approaches should be ignored, but if you can take something that’s worked before and tweak it, that can produce extraordinary results.
Skills:
- Creative Thinking
- Trying new approaches
- Finding new solutions for different situations
You Understand Technology
Like it or not, the event world is heavily influenced by technology, so if you’re someone who still uses a phone from 10 years ago, or who doesn’t have accounts on at least a few of the popular social media accounts, you’ll have a hard time putting together exciting events.
The truth is, technology is something that is universally appealing to most people, so events in almost all industries can benefit from utilising technology to increase attendance, engage guests, or increase sales.
But how can you use technology in your events?
Well, you could gamify your event experience by creating specialised apps that engage your audience and gets them to promote your event.
Or, you could use Virtual Reality (VR) to create unique experiences for your guests and make your entire event more immersive.
The point is, there are countless ways how technology can help you put together better events, and you must stay on top of the newest trends if you want to stay ahead of the competition.
Skills:
- Experience with a vase amount of technology needed for events (software, audio/sound, registration, etc.)
- Ability to stay updated with the latest event trends
You Can Handle Stress
As we’ve mentioned in the very beginning of this article, stress is an indispensable part of being an event planner.
Whether you’re putting together small events or organizing huge gatherings with thousands of people, stress will be an unavoidable part of your life throughout the entire event planning process.
However, while most people think of stress as something to be avoided, others thrive on it and couldn’t imagine their life without the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of solving problems, staying on top of everything, and persevering when others crumble under pressure.
If that’s the type of person that you are, then event planning will not only bring joy but will also likely be a profession that you excel at.
Skills:
- Can handle stress or manage it
- Thrive in stressful situations
- Can think fast on their feet
Author: Sarah Hill
Sarah Hill is a content writer at Seven Events Ltd – leading conference organisers in Birmingham offering event production, venue finding and team building services in the UK.
She started her career in the events industry almost a decade ago as time progressed she became an avid event blogger sharing her insight on corporate event planning.
